The Terraces give back to frequent first responders

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Photograph by Kathy Seddiqui/July, 2017. The Terraces senior retirement community held a luncheon last week to celebrate Los Gatos first responders from the police and fire departments. While the police aren’t called out too often, firefighter/paramedics are there all the time, administering medical assistance. Pictured left to right are Los Gatos-Monte Sereno interim police Capt. Clint Tada, interim police Chief Mike D’Antonio, Santa Clara County fire Capt. Bill Murphy, firefighter Ben Villegas and firefighter Nick Nanez.

The Terraces senior retirement community in Los Gatos has more than 350 residents—many in their 80s—making the facility one of the most frequent callers to 911 for medical assistance. Almost always, the first responders come from the Shannon Road Fire Station, a mere three-tenths of a mile away.

Each year for the last seven years, the Terraces has held a “thank you” luncheon for the Shannon Road firefighters, but this year, they expanded their community thanks to the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department.

“We obviously call the fire department many more times than the police on any given day, but the attention and response we receive is always the same: professional, timely, compassionate and well-respected,” Terraces Executive Director Tyler Ichien said. “But I think it’s more than that. When you respond, you realize you aren’t just responding to another senior citizen at the old folks home.”

An 80-year-old Terraces resident, who didn’t want her named used, said that’s exactly what happened to her.

“I fell in the dining room and hit my head,” she said. “The firefighters were very nice and asked me who the president was and what day is was, and decided I should go to the hospital by ambulance. They do a lot of business here, so we’re lucky they’re so close by.”

The police operations building on Los Gatos Boulevard is just around the corner, too.

“It’s incredible you’re doing this for us,” Interim Police Chief Mike D’Antonio said. “All of us really have a deep knowledge of this community, and both the fire department and police collaborate to keep you all safe.”

D’Antonio has 18 years on the job in Los Gatos and Monte Sereno.

The luncheon gave Terraces residents an opportunity to mingle with members of the police and fire departments, and both organizations received plaques that said, “In grateful appreciation for your tireless devotion and dedicated service to the Terraces of Los Gatos.”